


Backup

by wanderingsmith



Series: Serve and Protect [2]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 07:46:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9375062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderingsmith/pseuds/wanderingsmith
Summary: Goody burnt the coffee





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I ain't got no money, and nobody'd be daft enough to pay me for this. As it is thought, so let it be said; you make the toys, I play with 'em.
> 
> a draft of this was posted on tumblr a few days ago

"Stop saying I told you so."

Goody rolled his eyes, "I have not said-"

Billy's shoulders flinched, "Ouch!"

Goody's hand stopped immediately and he winced, "Sorry." Feeling around with his free hand, he found the borders of the knot that had formed as he ran the brush down. And had to bite his lip hard to keep from proving Billy right.

Apparently it didn't matter, seeing as Billy continued the argument without Goody's input, "Pins annoying to take out every night. And *you* insist brush every night."

Rolling his eyes, Goody blindly dipped the brush in the nearby cup, keeping the knot in the other hand, "Billy Rocks, don't you dare blame *me* for your vanity." The water helped the shaky brush get some traction into the dusty and knotted hair, "I've told you before I am more than willing to carefully pin this beautiful mess into a battle-safe bun every goddamned evening if it will keep you safe."

Noting the *almost* hunched shoulders, he made himself relax his own and leaned in to nuzzle a section he'd already worked back to softness, tightening his knees to touch Billy's ribs, bare of the beltfull of metal that usually adorned them, whispering softly, "You know damned well it isn't a sacrifice, mon cher."

Billy's grumble didn't concede an inch, "It is annoying."

Goody's lips quirked at the almost-whine that no one who met Billy would ever expect, "You *could* just admit you can't resist seducing me by the sneaky means of a flick of your wrist releasing this silken cascade of midnight." And he'd never needed seducing by this man.

"You spill that burnt coffee?"

"Hum? No, wh-" Goody sniffed, frowning at the whiff of the undrinkable stuff he'd unfortunately made while distracted. He glanced to where he'd abandoned his still mostly full cup near the fire. And blinked in realization as he looked at the wet brush he was using, "Err, no. Didn't spill it." Oh, well. It was working well enough: Billy's hair was getting back to a healthy shine after being wild, covered in dust, and filled with knots after getting loose when he'd not only had to use his throwing pin, but also the backup that actually held his hair, in a fight in a very dusty camp they'd made last night. And Goody'd rather drink the water he'd prepared for this than the coffee he'd ruined in his worry.

He heard Billy snicker, "You actually drinking it?"

Goody rolled his eyes, "No."

One of Billy's hands lifted awkwardly to squeeze his knee just above his filthy boots, "I'm OK, Goody."

"I know." He'd never actually been without a blade; that was better than they'd faced several times. And he hadn't been actually 'injured', by surgeon's definition. 

But watching him fight with that cloud of hair hazing his features from Goody's view -and offering itself as grab-point to his enemies!- had shaken Goody badly enough that he'd actually gotten his riffle sights locked on the last couple of attackers not actually in Billy's range yet. 

And his finger had actually managed to squeeze the trigger before the ghosts caught up with him and clouded his sight beyond even that loose hair and-

Billy's hand tightened on his knee, no doubt feeling the shake of the muscles of both Goody's legs and the hands in Billy's hair, and Goody made himself focus on the sweetly-shinning, *living*, hair in front of him. 

Slow stroke of the brush. Slow breath. Billy was fine. Goody'd only shot to defend his lover from bandits. No owl had hunted them as they rode away from the fight. They were safe. 

He was taking care of Billy's hair. His shaking hands that couldn't be trusted with anything and eyes that kept seeing things that were *not real* were buried in fire-warmed softness he didn't deserve to be allowed near. But Billy did not deserve to suffer tangled hair for Goody's sins. Didn't deserve to waste his life worrying about Goody. 

Oh hell.. what had they been chattering about before he'd gone back there again?? Oh. Right. 

He tried to clear his throat quietly, for all it was a lost cause to get anything past Billy. "Don't think I didn't notice you avoiding my question."

The hand squeezing his knee again was the only comment to the extended silence, "You talk too much."

Goody laughed out loud, if a little shakily, at what amounted to an admission. "Just admit it, Billy. It won't change anything." Nothing would change his love for the man. Or his susceptibility.

"You finish knots?"

"No." He grinned weakly at the impatient sigh that got.

"Work faster."

"Then you complain it hurts." And he'd take Billy's annoyance over his pain.

"..I can do myself."

Goody couldn't hold back a snort at that, "You hate that more than you hate sitting still for me." And even *that* was putting it mildly!

"..Easier when I have coffee to drink."

The pointed grumble reminded him that he was never going to hear the end of having failed at his *one* culinary ability. Not least because Billy never ceased trying to keep him from sinking back into self-pity; trying to keep his head on the level. The least he could do was do his part and take the ribbing like a man. However, here and now, the complaint was fair. Goody stopped on the way to wetting the brush again and pulled out his flask, taking a slug himself and pausing to feel the burn before he passed it around Billy's ribs, "Here."

"Thank y- ow!"

Goody flinched, but made himself talk through it, knowing damn well Billy wasn't *actually* in real pain, "Ha. You wanted me to hurry?"

"Shut up."

"Love you too."


End file.
